People living in dubai- do you recommend?

[ChefsKisser]

We are thinking of relocating. DH has decent job offer and we aren’t hugely happy with life as it is. Kids 10 and 7.
For those who’ve moved UK to Dubai are you glad you moved? Any advice? Thanks so much .

I prefer Abu Dhabi, having lived in both. You will need a very generous package, as well as housing allowance, school fees allowance, medical cover for all of you, in order to make it worthwhile. Otherwise you will be living frugally and not able to save anything.

For quality of life, its fantastic 6 months of the year, miserable in the heat especially May-Oct. Kids can't play outside for months at a time. Even at school, they have to be kept in if the heat index or air quality warrants it, and that happens a lot.

I moved, and lasted 18 months. Loathed the place, liked the job.

Use the 'two buckets' approach. Fill one bucket with money, another with metaphorical sh*t. When either bucket is full, go.

wisbechs bucket analogy was widely used in KSA when we lived there!
Check the numbers work (housing, school, flights, health care).
We did 5 years in the middle east. The summers are harsh. We came back for secondary school, and uni - you need 3 years uk residency to get home fees (and slc debt!). So realustically need to be back for the start of y10. So look at the long term planning and cash flow too.

When you say decent job offer, how much?

We're very happy here, but also earn what I still consider to be an insane amount of money and (if I compare myself to colleagues) are not living an extravagant lifestyle.

I couldn’t count the days till I could come back home. It’s a soulless place and totally detached from reality. The summer is unbearable

Best decision we ever made for our kids! A quick piece of advice on logistics: do not sign a lease until you know where the kids are going to school. Traffic in Dubai during peak hours can turn a 15-minute drive into an hour. Popular family hubs like Dubai Hills, Arabian Ranches, JVC, and Motor City are great because they put top schools, parks, and amenities right on your doorstep. I guess you already made the right choice, welcome :)

Living in Dubai here - I would recommend it with caveats. Very safe, clean, great infrastructure and easy regional travel. Downsides: the summer heat, high rents and school fees, and friendshis being transien as people come and go. A scouting visit outside the cool tourist months gives the truest picture of daily life.

I’m in Dubai. I think it’s very efficient, clean and safe, great healthcare, many nationalities and good travel opportunities and I can save 3 x as much as I could in the UK. The summer wasn’t as bad as people were telling me but that probably shows my lifestyle more than anything and different if you have kids. Not sure I’d like to stay here forever but for now it’s a better alternative than home. Negatives are definitely the recent conflict but I think the government handled it well. If you avoid all the insta crowd and entitled people and mix with normal people, you’ll be grand (unless you are coming here for that of course).